Chisholm

JIM CROWS California

ALEX CHISHOLM
University of South Carolina

OVERVIEW

This lesson will involve students explaining how varying cultural ideas about
race lead to perceptions about an area. The lesson will introduce students
to segregation throughout the United States and not just in the South. This
lesson will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of Jim Crow laws
and housing covenant restrictions in California.
The lesson will allow
students expand their knowledge of de facto Jim Crow segregation laws
throughout the United States not only affected Southern blacks, but other
African-Americans and other minorities as well throughout the country. By
looking at the article Jim Crow Cities in California students will explore how
Jim Crow Laws affected minority groups throughout the whole of the United
States.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM

Geography; United States History

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS

National Geography Standard 13: How the forces of cooperation and

conflict among people influence the division and control of Earths surfaces

SOUTH CAROLINA ACADEMIC STANDARDS

United States History Standards 8:The student will demonstrate an

understanding of social, economic and political issues in contemporary
America.
INDICATOR USHC 8.1
Analyze the African American Civil Rights Movement, including initial
strategies, landmark court cases and legislation, the roles of key civil rights
advocates and the media, and the influence of the Civil Rights Movement on
other groups seeking equality.

SOCIAL STUDIES LITERACY SKILLS

Identify the locations of place, the conditions at places, and connections

between places.
Create maps and geographic models to represent spatial relationships

GRADE RANGE
9th-12th grade

TIME

One class period (90 minutes)

MATERIALS/ RESOURCES NEEDED

Chisholm

Computer or Tablet
Internet capability
Youtube video with Bloods and Crips: Made in America- video clip
starts at 47 minutes to 55mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nEJXIsjrIoc
o Peralta, S. (Director). (2009). Crips and Bloods [Motion picture].
United States of America: Docuramafilms :
Google
Earth
(download
here
http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/agree.html)

OBJECTIVES

Students will read the text carefully to identify places within California.
The students will make placemarks and upload them onto Google
Earth were areas in which de facto segregation happened within the
state of California.
Students will be able to identify social and physical factors, which lead
to racial tensions within California.

PROCEDURES
1. Before the lesson make sure that Google Earth is installed on computer or
tablet, each with working Internet connection.
2. Hand out pre-assessment worksheet one. (KWL Chart). Give students 10
minutes to work on the first part of the worksheet.
3. Provide a general background to Jim Crow within the United States (short
lecture). Show students the short clip of Los Angeles racial segregation:
Bloods and Crips: Made in America- video clip starts at 47 minutes to

55 minutes.
4. After the movie students will read Jim Crow Cities in California by J.M.
Beach. Students will note locations within California that had Jim Crow
laws being aware of which ethnicity lived in those areas and also what
decade and time they lived in those areas. In this activity students
will note the general location of racially segregated areas within
California. Examples of places would include:
a. East Bay area of San Francisco-predominately white
b. Chinatown area of San Francisco (Northeast corner of the city)
c. Industrial Area of Oakland- black urban ghetto (zip code with
popup stating area)
d. North Richmond area- black ghetto
e. Kensington highland area- white wealthier
f. West Fresno- Chinese population and then further minority
groups of African-Americans and Mexican-Americans
g. Riverside east of Los Angeles- small white community
h. South Central Los Angeles- African Americans segregated to
Avalon, Watts, Willbrook, Green Meadows, Exposition and Central
Los Angeles

5.

6.

7.

8.

Chisholm
i. East Los Angeles Boyle Heights Barrios- Latino Community
j. Pasadena-Predominately White
For some areas where an exact location cannot be found on Google
Earth students can look up a zip code on Google to find a general area
in which these residential areas are located.
Students will use Google Earth to create placemark locations within
California. Placemarks should have the name of the area, details
about the location (demographic, timeframe, income). Once the
placemarker is up students will need to write the information in the
popup.
A folder should be created in Google Earth to store the files created.
To store the files. The highlighted folder can then be saved as a .kmz
file to share with other users.
Once students have completed all of their placemarks. Time may be
spent completing the KWL chart.

EVALUATION

The teacher will assess the Lesson plan by having students save their files
and review to make sure their placemarkers and paths are included.
Students will also be assessed by the completion of their KWL chart, and a
brief wrap up discussion on what was learned from this activity.

LESSON EXTENSIONS

Students create additional states Jim Crow era laws that prohibited
minorities in where they could live. Students can also make connection to
present day racial segregation (e.g. the resegregation of schools)

MATERIALS PROVIDED

Beach, J. (n.d.). Jim Crow Cities in California. Retrieved November 27,

2015, from
http://www.jmbeach.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Jim_Crow_Citie
s_in_California.8473043.pdf
KWL chart

RESOURCES

Beach, J. (n.d.). Jim Crow Cities in California. Retrieved November 27,

2015, from
http://www.jmbeach.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Jim_Crow_Citie
s_in_California.8473043.pdf
Peralta, S. (Director). (2009). Crips and Bloods [Motion picture]. United
States of America: Docuramafilms :

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The primary information (content) needed for this lesson is acquired by reading Jim
Crow Cities in California and also the short video clip Made in America. The

Chisholm
information can be supplemented with a course textbook.

Chisholm
Work Sheet 1
Know

Want to Know

Learned from Activity